Is the study of the origins of knowledge, it is an area of study that Piaget established and looks at the method by which knowledge is created and how that effects the validity of the knowledge its self. It is also the basis of Piaget’s theory on the cognitive development of children
Symbols:
In terms of Piaget’s cognitive development theory can be defined as an object or action that is used to represent something else. An example of this would be a child pretending to put something in its mouth to symbolically show that it is hungry.
Object Permanence:
Is the cognitive ability to picture something and know it is present even when your senses cannot directly tell it is there. The classic example of this is when a child who has no object permanence has a blanket covering its toy it immediately ceases to try get it and appears to think it has vanished whereas a child with object permanence knows it is just behind the blanket and will persist in their attempts to get it.
Egocentric:
Egocentric refers to the child's view of the world around them and how they lack understanding that there is any view other than there own. Piaget demonstrated this with his mountain experiment which is explained here. A typical example of this would be a child in the preoperational stage of development on the phone with there mother and when asked if there dad is there they might nod their head assuming that their mother can see them due to their inability to view things from any perspective but their own.
Operational Thinking:
This is the ability to think abstractly, hypothetically and perform higher order reasoning. An example of this is logic puzzles like if Tim is taller than Derek and Derek is taller than Joe then who is the tallest? This is a form of inferential reasoning which tests the child's ability to hypothetically construct situations in which they have not experienced themselves.
Schema:
Is a cognitive concept used to describe how people organize information and interpret the world around them through what can be described as placing things into categories. These cognitive schemas make up a person’s views of the world around them and influences how they think about everything. Schemas are developed over time through the processes of accommodation and assimilation which are explained below.
Assimilation:
Is one of the two methods of incorporating new information into ones schema, it can be described as when something new is encountered and then placed into an already existing category (or schema) an example of which could be upon seeing a breed of dog you have never seen before you would immediately place it into your schema in that you identify it as a new type of dog and not some other strange creature even though you have never seen this specific dog nor the breed before.
Accommodation:
This is the other method by which new information is gained and placed into ones schema.
Accommodation is when you encounter something new that doesn't fit in with an existing schema and instead of incorporating it into one of your existing schemas you create a new one or alter one of your existing ones. An example of this could be if a child thinks that all animals in the sea are called fish but then they learn that whales and dolphins are mammals they must then Accommodate this information into there schemas for defining what is a fish and what is a mammal.
Adaptation:
Adaptation is the sum of the processes of accommodation and assimilation. It refers to the adaptation of your cognitive schemas based on new acquired knowledge.
Equilibrium:
Is the goal of the adaptation process, using adaptation and accommodation to bring sense and order to how one views their external environment .
Constructivist Theories:
Are theories popularized by Piaget and Vygotsky on how humans develop and learn through gradual building upon their previous experience as they encounter new situations in their ever changing environment. These theories are often applied to educational settings especially for young children.
Social Contributions:
Refers to learning aspects that are influenced by external social factors such as having someone teach you something, an example of social contributions is Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development which is defined below.
Zone of Proximal Development:
The zone of proximal development is Vygotsky’s explanation of how a learner can do a certain amount on their own but can only reach their potential with the help of another more experienced individual. An example of this is a child being thought how to spell and how with the aid of a teacher he can learn more complex spellings and can go from spelling four letter words to spelling five and six letter words. The diagram below also outlines the zone of proximal development visually.
Genetic Epistemology:
Is the study of the origins of knowledge, it is an area of study that Piaget established and looks at the method by which knowledge is created and how that effects the validity of the knowledge its self. It is also the basis of Piaget’s theory on the cognitive development of childrenSymbols:
In terms of Piaget’s cognitive development theory can be defined as an object or action that is used to represent something else. An example of this would be a child pretending to put something in its mouth to symbolically show that it is hungry.Object Permanence:
Is the cognitive ability to picture something and know it is present even when your senses cannot directly tell it is there. The classic example of this is when a child who has no object permanence has a blanket covering its toy it immediately ceases to try get it and appears to think it has vanished whereas a child with object permanence knows it is just behind the blanket and will persist in their attempts to get it.Egocentric:
Egocentric refers to the child's view of the world around them and how they lack understanding that there is any view other than there own. Piaget demonstrated this with his mountain experiment which is explained here. A typical example of this would be a child in the preoperational stage of development on the phone with there mother and when asked if there dad is there they might nod their head assuming that their mother can see them due to their inability to view things from any perspective but their own.Operational Thinking:
This is the ability to think abstractly, hypothetically and perform higher order reasoning. An example of this is logic puzzles like if Tim is taller than Derek and Derek is taller than Joe then who is the tallest? This is a form of inferential reasoning which tests the child's ability to hypothetically construct situations in which they have not experienced themselves.Schema:
Is a cognitive concept used to describe how people organize information and interpret the world around them through what can be described as placing things into categories. These cognitive schemas make up a person’s views of the world around them and influences how they think about everything. Schemas are developed over time through the processes of accommodation and assimilation which are explained below.Assimilation:
Is one of the two methods of incorporating new information into ones schema, it can be described as when something new is encountered and then placed into an already existing category (or schema) an example of which could be upon seeing a breed of dog you have never seen before you would immediately place it into your schema in that you identify it as a new type of dog and not some other strange creature even though you have never seen this specific dog nor the breed before.Accommodation:
This is the other method by which new information is gained and placed into ones schema.Accommodation is when you encounter something new that doesn't fit in with an existing schema and instead of incorporating it into one of your existing schemas you create a new one or alter one of your existing ones. An example of this could be if a child thinks that all animals in the sea are called fish but then they learn that whales and dolphins are mammals they must then Accommodate this information into there schemas for defining what is a fish and what is a mammal.
Adaptation:
Adaptation is the sum of the processes of accommodation and assimilation. It refers to the adaptation of your cognitive schemas based on new acquired knowledge.Equilibrium:
Is the goal of the adaptation process, using adaptation and accommodation to bring sense and order to how one views their external environment .Constructivist Theories:
Are theories popularized by Piaget and Vygotsky on how humans develop and learn through gradual building upon their previous experience as they encounter new situations in their ever changing environment. These theories are often applied to educational settings especially for young children.Social Contributions:
Refers to learning aspects that are influenced by external social factors such as having someone teach you something, an example of social contributions is Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development which is defined below.Zone of Proximal Development:
The zone of proximal development is Vygotsky’s explanation of how a learner can do a certain amount on their own but can only reach their potential with the help of another more experienced individual. An example of this is a child being thought how to spell and how with the aid of a teacher he can learn more complex spellings and can go from spelling four letter words to spelling five and six letter words. The diagram below also outlines the zone of proximal development visually.Home Page